Absence Makes The Heart
by VixenSerael21
Summary: He was gone for three long years and a lot had changed, but the biggest battle was not over yet. A new war about to begin with Soul and Maka in the center of it. WARNING! This story contains spoilers and will be rated for future chapters. Soul x Maka, Tsubaki x Blackstar
1. Chapter 1

It had been three long years since they defeated the kishin and graduated from the DWMA. Maka twirled her straw in the drink she ordered, trying to pay attention to what her date was saying, but one week with the guy and she still thought he was boring. Sighing, she looked up at the man. Really, there were no defining features that would make it easy to pick him out of a line-up, and in this case, the line-up would be the large number of ex-boyfriends she had accumulated.

"Maka? Did you hear me?"

Blinking, she smiled politely, "I'm sorry, my mind was elsewhere. Listen Jonathan, you are a very nice guy, and I thought our bond over reading and common interests would be enough to make this last, but I have no desire to prolong the inevitable. So…I'm breaking up with you."

Jonathan chuckled, "that's funny, Maka."

"No, I'm quite serious."

"You can't be, because I'm the son of one of the wealthiest families in the city."

Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms, "you think I care about something like that? I'm not shallow, but you would know that if you knew me."

Standing up, she straightened out her evening gown, a long dark blue dress which dipped low in the back and formed a sweetheart neckline in the front, accentuating her small perky chest, even showing off her cleavage a bit, and moved to walk out, but Jonathan grabbed her wrist.

"I know what this is about! Everyone talks about it…you're hung up on that death scythe!"

That comment earned him a swift punch to the face, "don't you ever mention Soul again! I'm leaving."

Finally, she stepped out on the quiet street and took deep breaths of the crisp clean air as she started walking, her blue velvet high heels clicking on the sidewalk.

"Maka?"

Stopping, she turned to the voice and lifted her hands over her mouth, "Soul?"

He heard the faint sound of his name before she launched herself at him, crashing into him and wrapping her arms tightly around his torso.

"Soul! I didn't know if I'd ever see you again!"

Holding her delicate frame, he couldn't believe how much she had grown, "come on, Maka, I wasn't going to stay away forever."

She wiped her eyes as tears threatened to fall, "you can't blame me for thinking so, I had to spend three years without you."

"I know, but I'm back now, so don't cry."

Usually, she would make some comment about not crying and seeming tough, but all she could do was nod into his chest. Composing herself, she straightened and walked with Soul, all the way to her place, the place they shared everything at. Looking up at the building, he smirked, "so, you still live here?"

Blushing, Maka crossed her arms, not knowing how much attention it put on her breasts, but Soul did. He could hear his heart beating in his ears and gulped…when did she become a woman? Doing a full once over of her appearance, he started at her heeled ankles, definitely not big like he used to tell her, up to her long slender legs, round hips, tiny waist, and then those small, but perfectly proportioned to her body, breasts.

"Soul, your nose is bleeding."

Oh great! Talk about stupid. He wasn't a kid anymore and he couldn't even remember the last time that happened.

"Huh, that's strange."

Giggling, she opened the door and walked up the stairs, Soul behind her admiring the gentle sway of her hips as she moved up the steps. Clenching his fists, he tried to get control of himself as they reached the door to their old home. Maka opened it and stretched, "I'm going to shower and change. You can make yourself at home, I mean, since it kind of is anyway."

Taking a seat on the couch, Soul rubbed his fingers along the worn-out material, "it's been too long. I had no idea how strange it would be to come back."

He could hear the shower going and thought it best to turn the TV on in hopes of getting thoughts of little miss grown up Maka, naked, out of his head. Yawning, he took his jacket off and relaxed further into the couch, kicking his shoes off at the same time. There was nothing like being home again.

"Did you eat anything yet?"

Jerking his head over to the kitchen, he saw Maka dressed in a tight white tank top and pink and blue plaid PJ shorts that only covered the top of her thighs, her hair long enough to touch her backside now, and wet. Again, he found himself reacting oddly to her appearance, but who could blame him?

"Um, no I didn't."

Turning around to face him, she cocked her hip to one side and put her hands on the island, giving him a coy smile, "well, what would you like?"

You.

"Just whatever you've got is fine."

Maka turned around and bent down to investigate the fridge, "I can make some chicken parmesan for us."

Standing up, he meant to comment, but as he was looking at her, he noticed her position. With her head in the fridge, bent over, her divine derriere was up in the air and Soul practically drooled at the sight.

"You want a coke?"

Blinking, he moved around to stand next to her, leaning against the kitchen counter, "sure, that sounds good too."

Getting the cold ingredients and coke out, she stood and turned, right into Soul's chest. They just stared into each other's eyes, until Maka gave him a big smile, "you want to help me make it like old times?"

He smirked and grabbed the food from her arms, trying to ignore the slight graze of his hand on her chest, "that sounds awesome."

Laughing, she got the rest of the components needed for the meal, "you must have missed this place if you're that happy to help cook."

Yeah, he missed it, but not as much as the girl beside him, in fact, she was the whole reason why he came back. Being a death scythe was cool, but he felt lonely without her, no other meister could properly resonate their soul with his and no one could really keep his interest. Really, he felt so bored all the time…until now.

He started up the chicken while Maka cooked the noodles. Grinning a little, she bumped her hip into his side when he went for the spatula. Glaring playfully at her, he bumped her back, but grabbed her waist as he foresaw a bad situation with the boiling water. Maka gasped as she was pressed flush against him, realizing her nipples were still sensitive from the shower as they rubbed against his strong muscular chest.

"Soul?"

"Maka."

"Thank you for saving me."

He wanted to tell her everything he felt in that moment, but the courage didn't hit him yet. Letting her go, he moved the pot off the burner, "don't want it to boil over."

Smirking, she grabbed the strainer and moved to the sink, Soul stepping out of the way as he turned it on for her, "such a gentleman now."

It didn't take long for the rest of the food to finish, and they moved to the table with their plates. Soul had a clear view of her from across the table and everything seemed so different but the same about her.

"What is it?"

Crap! He was caught staring!

"Nothing, its just, I didn't expect you to have changed so much."

Looking down bashfully, Maka couldn't hide her blush very well, "come on, Soul. It's still me in here. You'll see once we've spent more time together."

"You're right, you haven't changed. Same old Maka that can't take a complement without being shy or embarrassed about it."

"So? What's wrong with that?"

Grinning with his fanged smile, he leveled her with a playful expression, "nothing, nothing at all."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, but Soul's curiosity started nagging at him, "why were you wearing that dress?"

Jerking her head up with a mouth full of food, she chewed and swallowed, "what?"

"The dress you were wearing when I saw you. That didn't seem like normal street clothes."

"Oh", she put her fork down and crossed her arms, "I went out with my boyfriend tonight so I could dump him. He liked to go to fancy places and show me off, then talk on and on about himself. One week with him and I thought I was going to die of boredom."

Soul hated, no, loathed the idea of Maka dating anyone, and the thought made his blood boil, "so, how far did you get with him?"

Eyes widening, her mouth worked for a second until her voice came back to her, "not even a kiss, and that's how it's been with any guys I've dated. When they want what I'm not willing or ready to give, I kick them to the curb."

"In other words, you haven't done anything with anyone."

"Well, no, but why would you even care?"

Fangy smile back in place, he leaned back looking cool, "just wanted to make sure I wouldn't have to kick anyone's ass."

That brought a smile to her face, "let's see, out of five guys, three have tried to take things further, but I took care of it...hey, Soul, how many girls have you dated since leaving?"

"Me? I'm too cool to get tied down by some random chick. They all just wanted to date me because I'm a death scythe, and that's not good enough. There's more to me than that."

"There sure is."

Soul cocked his head a bit, "what was that?"

Oh no! She said that out loud?!

"Uh, it was nothing. So, how was dinner?"

She wanted to forget about her little slip up, but Soul heard her loud and clear, and grinned to himself, "it was good, just like I remember."

Blushing, she grabbed his plate and started the dishes. Having him here felt so normal and…right. She was startled out of her musings as she felt Soul come up behind her. His breath was hot on her ear, "it really is great to be home."

Lifting his hand, he wanted to touch her, feel the curve of her waist, but restrained himself. He walked away and watched her from the entrance to his old room. Even washing dishes, she was beautiful. It was no surprise her exes tried to mess with her, but she would have never gone through any of those losers if he had stayed home. She turned around and noticed him watching, "are you going to bed now?"

"Yeah, it was a long trip."

Looking down sadly, she put on the best fake smile she could muster, "well, goodnight then."

He couldn't stand it! Walking up to her, Soul cupped her cheek, startling her.

"Don't you ever think about it?"

"A-about what?"

The day he left:

"Alright, that's everything."

Maka stood outside his room with her arms crossed, "would it be okay if I walked you to the station?"

Smirking, he slung his duffel bag over his shoulder, "sure, why not?"

Blair had long since left the apartment, something about three feeling too crowded anymore, so Maka knew it would feel lonely without him, but what right did she have to ask him to stay? Kishin souls still existed, but with the truce between the witches and Shinigami-sama, they didn't have to worry so much about them becoming too powerful. Soul was assigned a mission to choose or turn away…he chose to take it. Maka tried her best to act as if it didn't affect her, but he was her partner; that alone made it very personal. He said once that he would never abandon her, but for some reason, that's exactly what it felt like.

They walked to the train station in silence, Maka wondered what he was thinking, and he wondered the same with her. The silence seemed to become deafening and Maka couldn't take it anymore.

"Soul?"

He stopped and looked at her, "what is it?"

"When the mission's done, will you… (she looked up into his red eyes with so much vulnerability and anguish) come back to me?"

The way she was looking sent a piercing pain into his chest, "what kind of stupid question is that? Of course, I will! You are my partner, Maka, no one else."

Tears flowed freely down her face and he leaned down to wipe them away, but what he didn't expect was the soft delicate feel of her lips as she lifted her head up to kiss him. It wasn't passionate or wild, but a restrained gentleness one would expect from her. He couldn't help grinning at that thought when he moved to deepen the kiss, wrapping his arm around her tiny waist and pulling her flush against him. Knowing his meister, Soul didn't try to take control of the kiss, because she would pull away. Maka broke the kiss and held tightly to him, "promise you'll come back to me!"

Such a tiny frame held the whole world on her shoulders not long ago, "I will, I promise, Maka."

Shoving him away, she stood in front of him with her hands fisted at her sides, "go now, Soul."

"Maka."

"I said GO!"

She ran off, a flood of tears pouring down her face, and didn't stop until she was home. Soul watched her and grabbed his chest, "damn, had to make things more difficult, didn't you?"

He left that day, and Maka fell into a depression so dark it seemed no one could get her out of it.

(end flashback)

Soul saw something dark in her eyes, "Maka?"

"I remember how painful it was when you left. The bottomless Hell I spiraled into without you. It's funny, you said I was the one that saved you from your own darkness, but it turns out you were also keeping mine at bay. Anyway, I don't want to talk about this now, so let's just get some sleep and see what tomorrow brings."

She moved away from him and shut herself in her room, hoping sleep would get rid of all the horrible memories that tried to surface. Walking to her room, Soul put his palm on her door, sensing the pain in her soul. Was he ready to see? Could he look into her memories and come back unscathed? Lifting his hand, he knew he wasn't ready to see any of that, and walked off to his room.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, Soul woke up to the most amazing smell and sat up. Looking around, it was so strange to be back in his room like he never left. Maka opened the door with a smile on her face, "Soul, breakfast is ready."

Looking over, he had to do a doubletake, Maka was in a tight-fitted black pencil skirt cut just above the knees, and a white button-down collared blouse with the first two buttons undone. Her hair was long and flowing down her back as the top half was pulled up with burettes. She was sexy librarian hot!

"Soul! Another nosebleed!"

Embarrassed, he covered his nose with his sleeve, "okay, I'll be out in a minute."

Giggling, she left his room and started making his plate. Soul tried to get all the blood off before entering the kitchen. He leaned against the doorframe and watched her busying herself, humming softly. Since when did she hum?

"What smells so good?"

Turning around, he was greeted with a bright smile, "I made eggs, bacon, and steak…your favorite."

Drooling, he sat down at the table and gobbled up the whole thing, thoroughly satisfied and happy.

"That was great, Maka! You're an even better cook than before."

She clasped her hands in front of her and blushed demurely, "well, I've been trying to improve a lot since you've been gone."

Scratching the back of his head, he grinned, "so what are the plans for today?"

"I thought you might like to come to work with me."

"Work? What kind of work?"

Sitting down on the couch, she crossed her legs, the skirt hiking up her thighs, "I'm a teacher at the DWMA now."

"You mean…you go to school…dressed like that?"

"There's nothing wrong with the way I'm dressed, Soul. I even have a bando on my chest so the students can't look down my shirt."

Soul gulped as his mind said what he wouldn't, 'yeah, but the bando is also pushing your breast together and causing even more cleavage.'

"Wait, did you start doing that because you had a problem with kids looking down your shirt?"

Maka reddened a little, "of course, not! Anyway, go ahead and take a shower so we can go."

Soul sauntered over to the bathroom and took a quick shower, trying not to think about the many horny teens he'd have to pummel when he got to school. Walking in his towel, he didn't think about the fact that Maka could clearly see everything the towel around his waist wasn't covering. She stared with her mouth open as droplets of water trailed down his broad muscular scarred chest, over his tight sinewy abs, and moved further beneath the towel's barrier to caress the one place hidden to her.

"Maka?"

Caught again!

"Soul! What are you doing?! Go get some clothes on, sheesh!"

Chuckling, he walked into his room and changed into dark jeans, white wifebeater and his black leather jacket, along with a belt buckle with his personalized Soul Eater symbol engraved on it. He put his black headband in to keep the hair out of his face and walked back out.

"I'm ready."

She glanced over at him and turned back around to hide the blush on her cheeks as she put on her high heels, "okay, then let's go."

Walking to the school, Soul couldn't help noticing just how tight that skirt was as the round curves of her bottom was easily seen and accentuated by the material. He didn't remember her hips being so wide or her waist being that tiny, but she became a woman in three years…and he missed it. Dammit!

It wasn't long before the huge building, which overshadowed everything else in Death City, came into view. It hadn't changed one bit. Maka looked at him and smiled, grabbing his hand, "come on, Soul."

Looking down at their hands, he clasped hers tighter and smirked, "I guess I can be your partner again."

They walked in, hand-in-hand, and made their way to Maka's class. Every student in the hall turned to look at them and Soul couldn't stop the smile on his face; they probably thought the two were a couple, and he wouldn't change their assumption. Maka sat down at her desk and Soul leaned against it, waiting for all the students to come in. One by one they filed in and stared at their teacher and the new comer. Maka cleared her throat.

"Good morning class!"

(unison) "Morning, Professor Albarn!"

"Now, did everyone do their homework?"

Silence.

"Okay, everyone, get with your partner. Today, I will show you the balance between Meister and Weapon, something you would be familiar with if you had done your assignments."

Turning to her partner, she smiled, " Soul!"

"Right!"

Soul transformed into his death scythe form and Maka held him gingerly in her hand, so overjoyed to feel him again. She watched as the students all did the same, "good! Now I want you to resonate with your partner. Feel their soul combining with yours, their emotions, their struggles, their thoughts must all become one with your own."

Soul loved watching the way she taught as each of her students achieved their goal, resonating beautifully together. It was a tough lesson for Maka and it must have felt like a huge accomplishment for her to be able to teach it to her students. When class ended, Soul transformed back and gave her a big grin.

"You're a great teacher, Maka."

She was about to comment when none other than Death the Kid, aka the new Shinigami-sama came in.

"Maka, how are you doing today?"

"Oh, Kid! Look who's finally back?"

Kid trained his yellow eyes on Soul and raised a brow, "this is a surprise! Did you complete your work already?"

Crossing his arms, Soul smirked, "of course, I did. I wanted to get back as soon as I could, but it took longer than expected. Not everyone had what it takes to control the black blood and it had adverse effects."

"Yes, that's to be expected. Now, (he turned to Maka) I heard you and Professor Lowden have broken up, are you alright?"

She instinctively moved to Soul and grabbed his hand, "yeah, he just wasn't a good fit."

"Just remember Maka, (he lifted her chin with his finger) I'm here for you if you need me."

"Heh, um, thank you, Kid. I'll remember that."

Something about the way Kid was acting with her, did not sit well with Soul, "alright, well, we'll see you later, Kid. It's lunchtime."

"Right, carry on then."

When he left, Soul moved Maka to his side, "how long has Kid acted weird like that with you?"

"for a couple of years. Everyone was concerned about me after you left, and I went down a dark path. If it wasn't for my friends, who knows the person I would be now. Kid, in particular, would stay with me when things got really bad."

It pained him to know some other guy was there for her, giving her comfort, "Maka, I wanted to be here with you."

"A part of me knew that, but another part of me felt…abandoned and alone."

Moving close to her, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, holding her small waist and pulling her into his body, "you aren't alone now and you won't be again. I don't give a damn if there's another mission or not. There's nothing that will tear me from your side."

"Soul."

Maka covered his hands with her own, "it feels so right."

"What does?"

"You, right here, holding me like this."

Laying his head on her neck, he smirked and couldn't stop himself from nuzzling her neck, "yeah, it does. I don't want anyone else by my side, Maka."

Could he be saying…? She didn't want to get her hopes up, but she could feel that he was trying to tell her something.

"Soul, are you-"

Suddenly, someone burst open the doors, "what's this I hear?! The coolest kid this school has ever seen came back?! That's right, BlackStar is back! Yaaaaaaahoooooo!"

BlackStar came barreling in and scooped Maka up, spinning her around, "Maka! It's been a seriously long time!"

"BlackStar! As outrageous as always!"

Soul rolled his eyes and snatched Maka away, "long time no see, dude."

Looking him up and down, BlackStar grinned wide, "Soul! It's been too long, man!"

"You said it. How have things been?"

"Tsubaki and I are back from our honeymoon! I'm sure my super awesome self definitely knocked her up with a son too."

That earned him a hit on the head…by Tsubaki.

"BlackStar, that's not something you should go around saying to people. It's embarrassing."

He wrapped his arm around her and you could see the little smile and blush on her cheeks, "what's so embarrassing about the most amazing two weeks of our lives?"

Giggling, she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "nothing, but I don't want anyone to know about it. It's special between you and me, right?"

He pulled her close and gave her a deep passionate kiss, "you're right, and I want more."

"More?"

"Yeah, let's go home, Tsubaki."

They left and Soul and Maka couldn't help the dumbstruck expressions.

"Hey, Soul?"

"Yeah."

"Do you think all newlywed couples act like that?"

"Like what exactly?"

"Always horny and wanting sex?"

They looked over at each other, faces red, and turned away. Okay, so it wasn't just newlyweds, and Maka and Soul knew that. This day was going to go by rather slow.

Finally, the end of the day and Maka stretched her aching muscles, "thank goodness that's over with."

"Yeah, now we get to eat some dinner. What do you feel like having?"

They made their way to the house, "actually, I have to go to work."

"Huh? I thought you worked as a teacher?"

Getting inside, Maka took out the burettes and quickly ran into her room. Soul hung out on the couch and waited for her to come back out, but when she did, he had to do a once over. She was in an empire waist flowing lavender dress and pinned her hair to one side with a sparkly burette.

"Where are you going dressed like that?"

"I told you, I'm going to work. I'll be back in a few hours, so we can eat when I get off."

She left without a full explanation, and after about an hour and a half, Soul decided to dress up and head out after her. He had no idea where she could have gone, so he walked around the street in his suit and tried to figure out where she could be. He was about to give up when something stopped him; the most beautiful piano he'd heard in a long time.

Following the sound, he found a high-class restaurant called The Resonance, and walked in. It was actually pretty laid back inside, but everyone was dressed in formal attire and there was a piano in the center of the room. Approaching from the side, his eyes widened as he saw Maka playing the piano. When did she learn how to play? What was more surprising, she started singing.

He was mesmerized by the twinkling sound of her voice, so soft and tranquil. The words, the words were deep and filled with meaning. Her song told of the yearning in her soul for the piece of her to come back, the feeling of being incomplete and in pain until the day he returns. Wait, could she mean…

Song finished, she bowed and walked over to the bar, "I would like a cranberry juice, please."

Soul sat down next to her, still in awe, "why didn't you tell me?"

Receiving her drink, she took a sip, "I was too embarrassed for you to know."

"Maka, this isn't embarrassing, this is incredible. I could never get you to listen to music and be on my level with it, and then you go and learn how to play the piano and sing while I'm gone."

"I (she turned to him) I was jealous of that one thing you had in common with other people. It was the one place where I couldn't touch you, so I decided to learn. It took a good year for it to click, but after I got it, music and words were flowing out of me, and it was like you playing the piano to increase our soul resonance. When I play, it feels like you're right there with me, giving me your strength and confidence and it makes me so happy."

Reaching for her hand, he linked their fingers, "Maka, I'm right here. I love that you learned how to play."

"Well, I love that you love it too."

She lifted her bright green eyes up to gaze at him, and felt a surge of awareness run through her, "Soul, I-"

The que for her to come back and play came on, and she groaned, "we'll finish this when my shift is over."

"I'll be here waiting for you."

She did about five more songs before she left for the night, holding hands with Soul as they went home. He smirked and let go of her hand to wrap it around her waist.

"Soul, what are you doing?"

"It just seems like a shame. You're all dressed up and haven't been asked to dance."

Giggling, she let him twirl her out and back in, "there isn't any music."

"Maka, haven't we always been good at making our own music?"

He held her close and slowly spun her around, making her smile and hold him close. He cupped her cheek and she tilted her head up to him, "what were you going to say at the restaurant before you had to play again?"

Gazing into his rich red eyes, she smiled softly and leaned up to lightly press her lips to his, "Soul, I love you."

Did his heart just stop? Leaning in further, he deepened the kiss and fell into ecstasy. She jumped when his tongue delved into her mouth, but swooned at the feel and taste of him. This was a true soul resonance as parts of Maka and Soul reached out to each other, wanting to become one. Pushing on his chest, she walked up to their apartment and moved to shut the door, but Soul was already there, closing it behind them.

Before she could say anything, he was there, passionately ravaging her mouth as she clung to him for dear life. He grabbed her hips and pushed her against the door, his need for her taking over every part of him. Maka loved him, but didn't feel ready to go this far. Putting a hand on his chest, Maka was thankful that he stopped, breathing heavy on her shoulder.

"Soul, I do love you, but can we take this slow?"

Slow? After three years of being apart and five years of suppressed sexual tension?

"Of course, we can go as slow as you want. As long as you're mine."

Feeling the contours of his hard chest, she smiled, "I've always been yours."


	3. Chapter 3

She walked into her room and got changed out of her dress, choosing to take a quick shower before striding into the living room wearing a tight white tank top and hot pink mini-shorts. Soul drooled as he saw her and covered his bleeding nose when she sat down with him, wrapping her arm around his chest. She draped her leg over his and closed her eyes as he curled his arm around her shoulders. Wow, her legs looked amazing! So toned and soft, and her arms were the same, strong but so feminine. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head, "this feels like it can't be real."

"I know, I mean, I've dreamed of this for so long."

Maka was oblivious to his struggle as she smiled contently in his arms. It wasn't long before her eyes started to droop and she fell asleep. He glanced down when he felt her deep breathing and smirked.

"She can sleep anywhere."

Turning the TV off, he lifted her up bridle-style, and made his way to her room. It hadn't changed much over the past few years, but there were more postcards on the wall, none from him, but a lot from her mom; guess she still didn't visit much. He was glad to see some new photos of friends and family, including her dad. Wait, was that a wedding photo? Moving closer to it, his mouth dropped; so Maka's mom decided to get remarried to Spirit…that's a shocker.

Setting Maka down on the bed, he pulled the covers up over her, set the alarm, and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight, Maka…I love you."

He left her room and laid down in his bed, smiling to himself. The beautiful, high-spirited, Maka Albarn was in love with him, and life was pretty much perfect.

The next morning, Soul squinted his eyes as something tickled the tip of his nose. He slowly opened them to see a bubbly Maka lying next to him, trying to hold in her giggles, "good morning, Soul."

Grinning with his fanged teeth, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, tucking her head under his chin.

"Good morning, Maka."

For some reason, when he pulled her close, she started to feel drowsy and immediately jumped up, straightening out any wrinkles that tried to emerge on her skirt.

"Come on, Soul. You're going to be my teacher's assistant again, right?"

Looking her up and down, he was not about to let her leave the apartment dressed like that, without him. Her off-the-shoulder green top really brought out her eyes, but also showed off a little cleavage. She had on a flirty white skirt with bold pink flower prints and gladiator strappy sandals to finish it off. Her hair was flowing down her back in loose soft waves, instead of her normal straightened style. Soul whistled low, "dressed like that, I'll follow you anywhere."

Blushing, Maka clasped her hands in front of her and looked over her shoulder at him, batting her eyelashes, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Okay, she looked way too hot just then. Soul hopped out of bed and scooped her up, claiming her lips in a heated kiss, "that was dirty, Maka."

She could feel her knees weaken just from a single touch and struggled to keep her thoughts together, but gazing into his eyes filled with intensity, it seemed to be a futile effort. He cupped her cheek, and grinned with a 'fangy' smile, as much as he wanted to be intimate with her, it was very important to him that she knew how much he cherished and loved her.

Leaning in, his lips were just a breath away, anxious to convey the way he felt about her in that one action, but someone banged on the door, interrupting their moment. Maka breathed a heavy sigh and moved out of his arms, sad at the loss of contact, but walked over to open the door, shocked by who it was.

"Kid? What are you doing here?"

The guy with three strips of white going around his head, smiled warmly at her, "you're looking lovely, Maka."

Her cheeks darkened a little, "thanks, but why are you here? We would have seen each other at school in an hour."

Stiffening up slightly, Kid attempted to have an air of superiority, "I came to find out why you haven't been by Stein's to grab your next dose."

Soul sauntered up and wrapped a protected and possibly possessive arm around her waist.

"Everything okay?"

Kid's left eye twitched a little, "Maka, are you still having the nightmares?"

Jerking his head to look at her, Soul raised a brow, "nightmares? What kind of nightmares?"

Maka laughed nervously and shrugged it off, "it's nothing! Just silly nightmares, that's all…don't worry."

When was she ever going to learn that it was useless to lie or make light of something serious around him? Still, Soul decided to play along and smirked, "well, I'm here now, and I can chase them all away for you."

She smiled sweetly at him, but Kid cleared his throat, "I strongly suggest you take your next dose. It's already been a month."

"Thank you, Kid, but I want to try and deal with this on my own…without Dr. Stein's serum."

Kid seemed to panic, "please, Maka! Don't do this!"

Smiling sadly, she grabbed his hand, "sometimes, you have to face your fears, and I need to face mine."

The symmetry obsessed death god seemed concerned, but nodded his head, "alright, Maka, but if you start feeling like you can't take it anymore, my door is always open for you."

She let go of his hand and clasped hers in front of her, "thanks, Kid. Now, we need to finish getting ready."

"Of course! I'll see you two at school then."

As Maka shut the door, she knew Soul was waiting for an explanation. With her back still facing him, she let out a heavy sigh, "I promise I'll tell you what's going on soon, but I just want to enjoy being with you and not thinking about it, okay?"

Leaning against the kitchen island, he started eating his breakfast (eggs, bacon, and some toast), "that's fine. Just let me know when you don't want to carry it alone anymore."

She turned around and grabbed her plate, bumping her hip into his on the way to the table.

"I will."

At the table, Soul finished in a few minutes and hopped into the shower, quickly washing before coming back out dressed in kakis with a black belt, 'Soul original' graphic tee, and his signature leather jacket. The outfit wasn't complete without his little black headband. Maka would never tell him, but most guys looked girly and weird with one on…but he just looked incredibly sexy.

As they walked to school, Soul put his arm around her, letting everyone know Maka was taken. She leaned into his warmth and sighed happily. The huge academy loomed over them as they entered, and none other than Mrs. Marie, Professor Stein's wife and partner, was running up to give both of them hugs.

"I'm so overjoyed to see you two together again."

Soul and Maka hugged her back and stayed that way for about five more seconds. When Marie stepped back to smile, Maka gasped and pointed.

"Mrs. Marie, you're pregnant again!"

The older woman blushed demurely, "what can I say? Stein no longer has an obsession with dissecting things, so he's replaced that void with um…intimacy."

Soul shoved his hands in his pockets and took on his usual stance, "I always knew he was an old pervert."

"Who would you be referring to?"

They turned to see Stein sauntering over to his wife with a slight upturn of his mouth, "Soul, it's good to see you back."

"Good to be back."

For some reason, they started a staring contest for about thirty seconds, until Stein leaned in and glared, "since Spirit isn't around much anymore, Marie and I have taken on the role as Maka's parents, so don't take lightly what I'm about to say."

The white-haired guy gulped, "okay?"

"If you ever leave her like that again, I'll make you my personal science experiment, and it will be the most painful and traumatic experience of your life. I'll make what I did to Spirit, when we were young, look like child's play…do I make myself clear?"

Not trusting his voice, Soul nodded and felt the tension leave as Stein took his place by Marie.

"Good, in that case, welcome home."

They walked off and Soul stared after them, "that guy still gives me the creeps sometimes."

Rolling her eyes, she knocked her shoulder into his, "don't worry, Soul, he's just protective of me. Mom and Papa travel the world now, and they told Stein and Mrs. Marie to watch over me in their place. It's kind of sweet."

They walked into her class and noticed someone, not a student, was waiting for her. The guy was in a black suit with a bright blue silk tie, cropped semi-shaggy brown hair, glasses, and blue eyes.

"Maka, thank goodness you're alright. I was worried when you didn't come by the other day."

She bowed in respect, "I apologize! I was going to stop by after dinner, but ran into Soul."

The stoic man moved his gaze to the white-haired guy next to her, "oh, so you must be the infamous death scythe, Soul Eater Evans."

Eyeing the weird guy, he didn't like the way four-eyes was staring at Maka, or the familiar way he spoke to her.

"That's me, Maka's partner and number one guy…but I don't know who you are."

"Yes, where are my manners?"

Soul grinned, 'probably up your butt with the stick you need to pull out.' Yeah, he enjoyed that thought. The man bowed dramatically, "I am Theodore Nathaniel Prescott III, master pianist and Maka's teacher."

Wait, Soul squinted his eyes at him, "Prescott…did you hang out with Wes when you were young?"

Theodore smiled, "I'm surprised you remember. Yes, I would come over to your house often, and Wes always talked about his strange and quiet little brother, always up in his room."

"Yeah, I never did care to spend time around my brother's snobby rich friends. There's more to life than how much money you have and the status of your family."

"Says the boy with one of the most prestigious families in America in one of the largest mansions in the country."

Soul glared at him, "I don't care about any of that. What matters is real friends caring about you because of who you are, not where you came from. I was happy when I found out I could turn into a weapon, because it meant I could leave and discover that. Me leaving was something Wes never understood, and I'm guessing you're the same in that."

"You're right, I don't, but who would want to understand the insipient cries of a thirteen-year old boy?"

Things were getting a little too intense, so Maka placed a calming hand on Soul's arm, "well, Theodore, Soul and I really need to get set up for class now."

Just to prove a point to the clueless four-eyes, Soul held her close, giving a smug expression to him. The man's face started to turn red in obvious irritation, but he quickly composed himself before anything could come to the surface.

"I will take my leave now, Maka, will I see you for lessons tonight?"

Bowing again, Maka said a quick yes before he left. Soul didn't let go of her for a second, and he could have growled at that stupid guy, but he didn't want to upset Maka with over possessive boyfriend mode. Instead, he grinned and nuzzled her neck, happy to feel her sigh deeply into his warmth.

"I really don't like that guy."

Maka covered his arms with her own, so comfortable and relaxed in his embrace.

"He's just a little disillusioned about our teacher and student relationship. Theodore asked me out once, but I turned him down, just like every guy that's asked me out."

"Then how do you have ex-boyfriends?"

"Our friends failed attempts at hooking me up, but every guy knew it was pointless to be with me when all I could talk about was you."

Smirking, he was about to say how similar his past had been to that, but students started piling in.


	4. Chapter 4

The day was long and Soul yawned as the last student left.

"Why can't the classes have a bit more action?"

Gathering her things, she rolled her eyes, "because this class is for learning things from books. There are other classes where the students practice battling."

They walked out of the school and Soul pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist, "what class has the battles?"

"Weapons Training, it's also the class Black Star and Tsubaki teach."

Stopping on the sidewalk, Soul looked incredulously at her, "Black Star…teach? You have to be joking."

Maka giggled, "I know! It is very hard to believe, but he did the traveling thing for a while, seeing the world, doing elite missions, and having adventures. It was enough, until he confessed his feelings for Tsubaki, then he wanted to give her a real home someday. Now, they have a house on the outskirts of Death City."

He never thought 'The Black Star' would one day grow up and stop trying to surpass a death god.

"It's still hard to see him teaching anyone anything, let alone kids how to fight."

Laughing, Maka leaned up and kissed his cheek, "it's also hard to believe that you, the great death scythe, Soul Eater Evans, would come back to this little town after seeing the world."

She moved to step back, but he gripped her waist and pulled her close, cupping her cheek and his other hand, "It was always my intention to come back to you. Don't you remember me saying I would always stay by your side? Well, I meant it. Maka, I'm done trying to live without you."

Leaning in further, Soul was finally able to give her the tender kiss he wanted to that morning. Maka was taken back by how different it felt from the other one they'd shared. The gentle softness, almost cherishing in the act itself, caused tears to form in her eyes as his warmth, no his love washed over her, covering her in its sweet glow and causing all strength to leave her.

Keeping a strong hold of her, he relished in the feel of her petite body forming into his own, but all too soon they had to break the kiss as some people walked by, gasping at the public display. Maka's face reddened considerably more as she buried her head in his chest. Chuckling, he curled his arms around her protectively.

"I hope you understand now."

He could feel her nod as he continued walking, directing their path. Feeling a bit ridiculous, Maka lifted her head and moved to his side, holding his hand. It was just a few more blocks and they made it home, Maka jumping in the shower while Soul scrounged in the kitchen and started making dinner.

Is was so comforting to be home and fall back into the routine he'd known for almost seven years. All too soon, his quiet musings were interrupted by rapid knocking at the door. Groaning, Soul strolled over and opened it, arching a brow in question toward the death god at his door.

"What's up, Kid?"

The pale face guy grew red and shoved a box into Soul's chest.

"These are the postcards you sent her while you were gone. I took them from the mail before she could see them."

Soul's eye twitched as he envisioned drop-kicking the god into next week, but he kept his voice smooth and chilly, "why did you do that? Jealous?"

Now it was Kid's turn to keep his cool while he raged on the inside. Of course, he was jealous! Even Liz and Patti knew of his longing to be with the strong and beautiful woman, but she couldn't get Soul out of her system. Keeping the postcards from her was a joint decision by everyone that cared about her.

"She went through a lot while you were away. I've held her as she wept, nursed her back to health, even been her punching bag when the emotions became too much for her."

So, Kid seemed to have gotten closer to Maka than he had expected.

"I appreciate you taking care of her while I've been gone, and I don't expect things to go back to normal, but I'm here now. Maka is my responsibility, so I'll do whatever I can to be there for her."

That bothered Kid more than it should have. How could Soul think he could handle it when he didn't even know the situation?

"Soul, Maka is fighting a losing battle if she doesn't use Stein's serum. If you feel so 'fit' to take care of her, then convince her to start using it again."

Soul fought with himself, wanting to respect Maka's wish not to tell him yet, but how serious was this? How was he going to properly protect her if he didn't know what from?

"I'll do my best, but is there something you can tell me without giving away the whole thing? Like, what does the serum do?"

"It calms down the black blood so it can't take over completely. In her case, it keeps the black blood from influencing her dreams."

'Like the little red demon? What could Maka be seeing that would terrify her to the point of needing meds to keep from seeing it?'

"What does she see, Kid?"

Taking on an expression so intense Soul faltered in his usual laid-back persona.

"Asura."

Just hearing the name said out loud caused shivers and a sinking feeling in Soul's gut.

"What happens in her dreams?"

Maka walked out of the bathroom and stretched, "that shower was just what the doctor ordered! Did you need to get in, Soul?"

Hearing a gasp, she turned to the front door where Soul smirked at her and poor Kid couldn't handle seeing her scantily clad body only wrapped in a thin towel, and caught a nose bleed before passing out from the excitement.

Maka 'eeped' and ran into her room, quickly changing into a pink tank top and black plaid PJ shorts.

"Soul! Why didn't you tell me Kid was here?!"

The silver-haired guy took his hands out of his pockets and picked Kid up, throwing him onto the couch, "I didn't think he was going to stay that long."

Suddenly, she sniffed the air, "is something burning?"

Glancing at the kitchen, Soul cursed and raced over to take the curry off the stove.

"Great, it looks like we'll be ordering out for dinner."

Maka couldn't help giggling as she saw the charred sad pan of curry, "this reminds me of when Arachne outed you about burning the curry back then."

The memory made him smile, "yeah, that was a fun day, especially since you got paralyzed and I had to hold you up."

"Yeah, yeah, keep bragging Mr. Cool."

She tried to walk back over when her foot kicked something on the floor. Looking down, she picked up the box and placed it on the counter, "what's this?"

Moving over to her, he lifted the top off, "all the postcards I sent you over the years. Kid, and probably our other friends, thought it best for you not to know about them."

With shaking hands, she dived into the sea of cards and pulled one out, "Maka, I miss you every day and hope to be home soon. Tell Black Star to stop annoying everyone and don't forget that I love you. Yours, Soul."

Maka held the card close to her heart and allowed a few tears to fall, "why would they think it was right to hide such things from me?"

Standing up, Soul moved behind her, draping his arms over her shoulders, "they thought they were protecting you, I guess. It doesn't matter now, but what does matter is what's going on with you."

"What do you mean, Soul?"

It was time. She had to tell him the truth about what's happened to her.

"Maka, tell me what happened to you. Why do you need Stein's serum?"

She didn't seem to want him to know, so he grabbed her hand and walked them over to the table, sitting down facing her, "I want to protect you as your partner and your boyfriend, but you need to tell me what's been going on for the past three years. Nothing cryptic or confusing, the straight forward truth, okay?"

She would have thought he was upset with her, but his hold on her hand was gentle and reassuring. Taking a deep breath, she began her story.

"When you left, I was broken."

That one statement was enough for him, but he had to hear it all, no matter how difficult and painful it would be, "go on."

Maka continued, shadows of inner despair clouding her usually sparkling eyes, "I wasn't getting much sleep and our friends were seriously worried, especially when I started acting different…disturbed. It made sense because I was constantly in pain, like a piece of my soul had been ripped away and left a gaping open wound to fester and turn. It got to the point that I started lashing out at everyone."

Looking down at the table, she felt a deep disgust for her actions back then.

"I could take the pain for about three months, then I needed something to numb it and turned to alcohol. It became routine for me to come home and have a drink, barely eating anything, and that lasted about a month. Then Tsubaki just so happened to check on me one night…the night I finally gave up on life. No one knew about my inner demons or how much they tormented me, and I just wanted it all to stop."

Tsubaki was such a dear friend, and Maka would always be there for her, after all, she owed that girl her life.

"She rushed me to the hospital where they performed CPR and got me breathing again, but when I was gone, I could feel Heaven beckoning me to it when the Kishin first appeared. Before I could be fully revived, he tried to pull me into the darkness but I survived."

Soul could see that she'd never told anyone before, and moved to sit beside her, still holding her now trembling hand.

"When I woke up in my hospital bed, everyone I loved and pushed away were there and I cried. I finally let out al the pain, anger, and regret. Pretty soon, I started feeling a bit like my old self, even the pain turned into a dull ache, and it seemed like I could live again."

She seemed scared to go on, and Soul was about to tell her she didn't have to if it was too hard, but they were interrupted.

"Then her nightmares started."

They looked over at Kid who took a seat across from them, "go ahead, Maka, tell him."

Sighing, she nodded as an expression of pain spread across her angelic face.

"It started with me being in the piano room, like when I'm in your mind, but it wasn't you at the playing, it was him. Asura would ask me to become his, over and over again, but I would always say no. He would try to tempt me, even saying he could bring you back to me, then Asura changed his appearance into you. It was your voice yelling in my head 'not to be fooled' that helped me resist."

Shaking, Maka tried to banish the memories, "that went on for six months I think, but suddenly everything changed. Asura was done asking and told me he'd break me instead."

Tears poured down her face, "he hurt me! In my dreams, he made me do disgusting things and did things to me while I was chained to the wall! Clothes torn and my body left bare to him. It got to a point where I stopped sleeping and I could feel myself slipping away."

"It all came to a head when I passed out from exhaustion in class. I couldn't escape the nightmare, until someone jerked me awake. Kid held me and took me to Stein's, telling him that I was screaming and writhing like I was being tortured, so I had no choice but to tell him what'd been happening."

Kid nodded, "Stein surmised that the black blood in Maka was the purest and most concentrated form, no doubt from your fight with the Kishin, and that's when Stein experimented by using the black blood to make a serum much like an anti-venom, to neutralize the effects of the blood."

Smiling, Maka rested her head on Soul's shoulder, finding comfort, "and I've been on it for about two years now, but I'm tired of being scared. Soul, since you're back I feel like I can fight again."

Rolling his eyes, Kid crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at them.

"Sentimental and emotional nonsense aside, facts are facts. Without the serum, Asura will do whatever it takes to have her soul and Maka may go to sleep one day, and never wake up."

Holding her close, Soul felt his blood chill, "she'll die?"

"Worse, her body will be alive, but her spirit will be trapped in an endless nightmare with Asura."


	5. Chapter 5

Turning to her, Soul caressed her cheek, "I don't think we should take that chance."

Gazing into his red eyes, she could see them darken with concern and smiled reassuringly, "okay, I'll start taking it again. I was just sick of being scared of something that's become a part of me."

Soul nodded, "I know how that is, and one day, we'll use our soul resonance and kick his ass out of you, deal?"

Maka giggled, "deal."

Turning to Kid, she sighed, "did you bring it?"

The death god grinned and took out a syringe gun filled with blue liquid, "hold still."

He pressed the flathead of the gun into the back of her neck and pulled the trigger, injecting the serum into her. She flinched for a second before passing out, Soul holding her up so she wouldn't hit the table. He cradled her close and glared at Kid as he started to leave, "why'd she faint, Kid?"

"It's all part of the process, so don't cut your eyes at me. She goes into a deep sleep for about thirty minutes, just enough time to neutralize the black blood. Technically, this serum incases the molecular structure of the blood and centralizes it to the barrier it creates so it can no longer affect the host, like caging a parasite."

With that, Kid gave one last lingering look to the sleeping beauty in Soul's arms, before leaving. Soul carried her to the couch, continuing to hold her, appreciating her beauty as he glided his hand through her silken sandy-blonde tresses.

Everything, absolutely everything she said was like a knife stabbing him repeatedly through the heart. To know what his leaving did to her, he couldn't help hating himself. If he could have gone back, he would've never left her. Why did he leave in the first place? He remembered that day very well.

(Flashback-Senior year, 3 years ago)

Soul was waiting for her so they could walk to their next class together, but she was late. Maka was never late to anything, so he walked around trying to find her while the halls emptied, and that's when he heard them.

Hiding behind the corner in front of them, Soul listened.

Maka had her arms crossed, seemingly agitated, "is that all?"

The teenage boy in front of her seemed shocked and hurt, "is that all? I just confessed to you, and that's all you can say?!"

Feeling a little guilty, she clasped her hands behind her back and bit her bottom lip, "I'm sorry, I just get cranky when I'm running late for class, because it never happens. Brandon, you're very nice, but Soul takes all my free time, so I don't really have a way of cramming dating into my schedule."

They boy, Brandon, seemed hopeful, "so, if Soul wasn't in the picture, then you might give me a chance?"

"Sure, but that'll never happen. He depends on me too much."

Soul walked away, feeling awful, and that's when Kid saw him and told him about the mission. It was perfect timing, so Maka could finally have a life without him and possibly find happiness with someone.

(end flashback)

He'd tell her about that when she wakes up, but for now, he would just hold her and enjoy the feel of her petite body molded perfectly into him.

(in Maka's mind)

Maka was in the piano room again, but no Kishin, so she sat in front of the keys and started playing, a tune that always came to mind whenever she thought of Soul. It seemed like a perfect mix of their souls and brought a smile to her face.

"I love you so much, Soul."

It was odd, he could feel his himself being pulled and closed his eyes to see Maka at a piano, "hey."

She stopped playing and turned around, "is that you?"

"In the flesh? No, I got it, in the corporeal spirit."

Laughing, she moved over so he could sit with her, "let's create some music together."

He listened to her sweet melodic tune and played his own darker tones, "so, this is where you go in your mind?"

"Only whenever he's close, but I can feel him fading back into the darkness. When that happens, I go here."

As they continued playing, the dark corners brightened and they were suddenly surrounded by a forest of blooming cherry blossoms.

Soul couldn't help smiling, "now, this is what I'd expect your heart and soul to be like."

Looking over at her, he saw her black dress turn white with little white flowers adorning the bodice and trim, and the design transformed into an empire waist, cutting just under her perky chest. She continued playing and closed her eyes, humming softly, and Soul felt a sweet breeze come by, gracefully whipping her hair as light glistened on her skin.

Maka was always beautiful to him, but the way she looked at that moment was so gorgeous, he'd be apt to say she was angelic. Opening her eyes, she glanced over at Soul, feeling his eyes on her.

"What is it?"

"You look so…"

"So, what?"

Smirking, he moved closer to her, and gently lifted a tendril of hair curling around her face, "so happy."

She softly smiled and leaned into his touch, taking her hands off the piano, "I'm always happy when you're with me."

Standing up, Soul offered his hand to her, "dance with me, Maka."

She nodded her head and blushed as he twirled her around, cherry blossom petals swirling around them. It made for a very romantic moment and Soul took full advantage as he twirled her into his chest and claimed her lips.

So different, having her spirit kissed by his, instead of their actual bodies. It almost seemed deeper, and it was painfully obvious that self-control and keeping your emotions in check couldn't exist here.

Maka moaned as he deepened the kiss, and she fisted his shirt in her hands, craving more. Soul lifted her up and felt her wrap those toned creamy legs around his waist. It didn't matter that they were in her mind, because it still felt very real.

Moving them to the closest tree, he pressed her back into it and continued to devour her mouth, taking everything she was giving and intensifying his own desire. Maka, completely unlike herself, couldn't resist the urge to touch him! Pullin at his shirt, she reached her hands underneath to feel the heat of his hard sculpted abs, causing him to hiss in pleasure and spurning him on to touch more of her.

Sliding his hand up, he felt the smoothness of her shapely upper thighs and finally settled at her perfectly rounded apple bottom, cupping it firmly in his hands.

She broke the kiss and gasped as new sensations erupted in her, "Soul, as great as this is, I'd like to do these things, ah, with our real bodies."

Closing his eyes, he took a few deep calming breaths, "you're right, Maka, I forgot that we're in your mind."

He slowly lowered her to the ground, smirking at the very deep blush she was sporting, "don't worry, I'm sure we'll have a chance to really do this one day."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she turned her head, "I know, but I can't believe how…responsive I was to your actions."

Scratching the back of his head, Soul grinned wide, "well, I certainly enjoyed it."

She lightly slapped his arm, "you would, perv."

Giving her a fangy smile, he grabbed her hand and they started walking, "says the girl that just made some very erotic noises."

She ducked her head down slightly, "I'm sure I'll have better control on the outside."

"Speaking of which, did you plan to come back? Because I'm pretty sure it's been well over an hour since you fainted."

Looking around at the pink blossoms and white trunks, shimmering air taking the form of mist, she smiled.

"I guess I can wake up now, since the black blood seems to be gone."

With that, she faded and he too left, neither one saw the patch of black flowers just a few feet from them.


	6. Chapter 6 The Reason

Maka awoke with a smile as she looked up at Soul's face. So, he was holding her in his lap…such a nice guy. He grinned down at her, "still having dirty thoughts about me?"

And there goes the mood. She got up and walked to the kitchen, pouring a cup of orange juice and sitting back down with Soul.

"Get your mind out of the gutter."

She scooted in close while Soul picked out a movie for them to watch, "hey, you don't have to play tonight?"

"Crap! I forgot with all the excitement."

Grabbing her phone, she scanned through her contacts, Soul peered over and noticed the name she clicked on, "why are you calling that Theodore guy?"

"Because he owns the restaurant."

Soul was going to ask more questions, but good ole Theo picked up on the first ring. Maka gulped nervously and spoke.

"Hey, Theodore! I'm so sorry for not coming in tonight."

Soul strained to, but couldn't hear his responses.

"Yes, sir, I understand. Things came up, but I won't let it happen again."

Maka's eyes widen as she glanced down at the phone, "two hours?"

Looking forlorn, she sighed, "yes, sir, two hours seems to be an efficient punishment."

She hung up and looked down, much like a kid that just got a talking to by the principal.

"I have to do a two-hour lesson with him tomorrow."

Who did that pompous jerk think he was?!

Smirking, Soul pulled her close, "you don't have to do that, and you don't have to play at that restaurant anymore if you don't want to."

Looking confused, she turned and placed both hands on his chest, "what do you mean?"

How could she be so good at both sexy and cute at the same time?

Wrapping his arms around her tiny waist, he smiled gently at her, "you don't need second-rate pianist, Theodore, when you've got me. I'll teach you everything I know about playing the piano."

"You mean it?"

He could hear the bubbling excitement in her voice, "yeah, I mean it. What kind of boyfriend would I be to let some other guy teach you what I already know?"

Blushing, she tilted her head down, pretending to find the collar of his shirt interesting, "I'd love to learn from you…it's something I've wished for ever since you left."

With his index finger, Soul lifted her chin up and gazed into her glistening emerald eyes, "Maka, I can't change the past, but I'll do my damnedest to give you a great future."

Smiling, she moved up his torso and rubbed her nose against his. He tilted his head slightly and captured her lips, keeping their moment soft and sweet.

Breaking their contact, after a minute, he kissed her forehead, "I think we've had enough 'excitement' today, and I know you like to be early to class, so let's get some sleep."

Stretching, Maka walked off to her room, "you're right, and that serum takes a lot out of me."

Soul said goodnight to her and waited to hear her door shut. Slumping, he rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. It was hard to believe that so much could happen in just one hour.

His body shook a little as he remembered their 'moment' in her mind. If she hadn't said something, they would have had their first sexual experience together…without using their bodies, yeah, try explaining that one.

Getting up, Soul made his way to his room and laid down, but it was difficult to sleep. Strange, it almost felt like he couldn't sleep because Maka wasn't next to him, but that's crazy, right?

Putting his headphones on, he pulled up some music and waited for the lull to close his eyes, but as they started to finally droop, he saw Maka at his doorway. Sitting up, he took the headphones off, "is everything okay?"

He gulped as she looked down demurely, and held her hands behind her back, wearing a button-down sleep shirt and, though he knew she would never go around without shorts underneath, the shorts she did have on were covered by the hanging fabric of her slinky shirt.

"I can't sleep. Can I, um…stay in here with you?"

Not saying anything for fear of his voice shaking, Soul scooted over to give her room next to him. She smiled and slowly walked over, gingerly climbing into his bed.

Turning on her side to face him, she reached for the hand on his chest and he gladly gave it to her as she laced their fingers, "why is it that I feel safest and even just more myself, when I'm with you, Soul?"

Maybe their soulmates? Even though he felt that way, it wasn't what he said, "maybe because you know I'm the coolest guy for you."

Giggling, she hid her face in his shoulder, "as cute as that is, I was thinking more along the lines of possibly being soulmates. You know, a 'meant to be' kind of thing."

He smirked down at her and kissed the top of her head, "yeah, that must be it."

Once they were settled and relaxed, it didn't take them long to finally get some well-deserved rest.

The next morning at school, Maka paced back and forth in front of the hall to Kid's office.

"I don't know about this, I mean, I wanted this a couple of years ago, but I don't think he'll go for it now."

Soul moved from his laidback position against the wall and grabbed her shoulders, stopping her movements.

"Just calm down. He'd be stupid not to want you in the weapons training class. You were instrumental in taking down the kishin, so who's gonna have better battle strategies than you?"

"Yeah, but I became tainted by that battle too."

He placed his index finger over her lips, silencing her.

"I don't want to hear you talk like that. You weren't tainted, okay? You have battle scars, something expected after such an intense situation."

Looking down, she shrugged, "I guess you're right."

He smirked and kissed the top of her head, "I know I am, plus you've got me and we're unstoppable together, right?"

Tilting her head up, she bit her bottom lip and beamed, "you are absolutely right about that one."

Soul moved his hand to cup her cheek, lightly caressing the soft skin with his thumb, "I don't know if I said this yet, but maybe I should repeat it."

He gazed into her emerald eyes and couldn't stop the tension in his throat as he choked out the words, "I'm sorry I left you, instead of just talking to you."

"I was surprised by that, I mean, we couldn't even decide on little things without the other's input, and you made such a big decision… without me."

Dropping his hand, he turned to the far wall, "do you recall what happened at this spot?"

Looking around, she shrugged, "we did follow Black Star here that one time."

"No, this was a rare occasion when I wasn't with you."

Furrowing her brows, she couldn't figure out what he was talking about, "I'm sorry, but I don't remember."

Let's see, how would Maka be able to remember? That when a huge smile spread on his face.

"It was when you were late to our first class in senior year."

Lightbulb! Maka's eyes widened, "when that guy asked me out."

Leaning back against the wall, he kept staring at the spot, "I came up on you guys and didn't want to interrupt. That's when I heard you mention having to take care of me as the reason not to date."

Feeling awful, she walked over to him, grabbing the front of his shirt, "I just used it as an excuse, but I didn't really feel that way. You believe me, don't you?"

Leaning down, he gazed into her eyes and smirked, "I knew when you kissed me that day, but it was too late to back out. Remember later that day when Kid called me out of class?"

"Yes."

"That's when he told me about the mission and I figured, why not? Maybe it would give you the space you needed, and maybe I needed to figure out who I was without being your weapon. It seemed like a win, win, or at least I tried to convince myself of that. My feelings for you, was it because you were my meister and I wanted to protect you, or something more?"

Soul absently ran his fingers through her hair as she got lost in his tender gaze.

He continued, "I thought the mission was a perfect chance to finally clear a few things up, but then you kissed me. One action, one moment was all it took for me to regret taking the job, and I've spent the last three years trying to be quick about everything, even sending Kid transfer papers over and over again…all so I could come back to you."

Squinting, she slowly shook her head, "why wouldn't Kid tell me you were trying to come back?"

It was so cute how naïve she could still be, "Maka, why do you think he never told you?"

Thinking back, her eyes widened as a memory from two years ago came flooding back.

(flashback)

Maka was having a particularly bad night as the ache in her chest reached an unbearable intensity, and Kid just so happened to stop by. He was concerned with how out-of-it she seemed at school, and when Maka opened the door, he immediately embraced her.

The poor girl was a mess and cried hysterically into Kid's chest as he walked them to the couch, cradling her close.

"Shh, it's alright, Maka. I'm right here."

His words were a comfort to her, "I had no idea it would hurt this much. It's like my heart is being stabbed over and over again, causing my whole body to be in pain."

Rubbing her back tenderly, he pulled her away slightly, trailing his hand down through her silken tresses.

"You should forget about him, Maka. Maybe even start dating, I mean, you're very beautiful. Any guy would be lucky to be with you… even me."

(end flashback)

At the time, Maka thought he was just saying things to make her feel better, but thinking back, little moments started to make more sense.

"Oh my, Kid has a crush on me? And that's why he never okayed your transfer?"

Shrugging, Soul glanced over at the door to Kid's office, "makes the most sense to me, but first and foremost, he's our friend. If he starts acting strange about us being together, then I'll talk to him, but just act the way you normally would and everything will be fine."

Maka agreed and grabbed his hand as they walked down the hall to Kid's office, "let's get this over with."


	7. Chapter 7 The Proposition

Lightly tapping on the wooden door with her knuckles, Maka wasn't shocked to see Liz and Patty open it. Liz crossed her arms and grinned at them, "well, if it isn't Maka and Soul together again."

Grinning back, Soul crossed forearms with her, like a buddy would, "how you been, Liz?"

"Good! Kid has become a lot easier to handle since becoming the Lord of Death, so life is awesome."

"That's cool, and what about you, Patty?"

The ditsy sister thought for a second, "oh yeah! I learned how to sculpt and became a meister!"

Raising his brows, Soul nodded his head, "two totally different sides of the spectrum, but still cool."

That's when they both glanced down at the couple's hands laced together. Liz grinned, "so, finally confessed to each other, huh?"

Maka blushed a little, "well, yes we did."

Patty laughed and gave them both a huge hug, "I'm so happy for you guys!"

Things seemed fine, until the sweet Patty glared menacingly at Soul, "you weren't around to see what you did, but if you dare to hurt her like that again, I'll use Liz and blast you away."

Having seen 'scary Patty' before, he just nodded, "you got it."

After that, they let the couple in to see Kid standing in front of his Dad's mirror, having a conference with the grand witch.

"Yes, ma'am, we are aware of the activity and are doing everything we can to stop it."

The women glared and nodded, "I'm counting on you to keep the witches safe, Kid. Continue monitoring the situation and get back to me."

"Will do."

The mirror showed the reflection of his surprise guests as the witch faded from view, and Kid turned around to greet Maka's smiling face. He walked over and tipped her chin up, "come for another game of chess?"

It was the actual game, but something in his eyes made her think he was talking about something else.

"Actually, Soul and I came to you with a proposition."

Oh right, they were both there, "what sort of proposition?"

Soul nudged Maka forward and she stood straight up, gaining the confidence to speak, "when I first agreed to be a professor here, you said the only reason I wasn't teaching Weapons Training was because I no longer had a weapon. Well, Soul's here now and I would really love to get back out there and show the students what it means to truly bond with your partner and get the strongest soul resonance you can."

Ducking his head down, Kid held his chin in a contemplative expression, "you make a valid point, but Black Star and Tsubaki do just fine."

"Yes, but they can't say that they used a weakness and turned it into the greatest strength, like Soul being able to control his black blood."

Soul stood next to her, "I couldn't have done it without her. She's the light that kept me from slipping into the darkness."

In all the years knowing them, Kid never heard Soul talk about anyone like that before. Maka was staring at Soul, shocked.

"You've always felt that way?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Soul pulled her close to her side, "always, but I was too embarrassed and stubborn to say anything."

Kid watched them with a solemn heart and moved to say something, but Liz interrupted, "I think you should let them teach it, Kid, alongside Black Star and Tsubaki."

"Four teachers for one class?"

"No, make a class specifically for strengthening the bond in battle and one for the fighting skills."

Smirking, Kid put his arm around her, causing Liz to blush, "that's a splendid idea! After all, Black Star is more of a brute, so pummeling people is what he's best at. Maka has more grace and finesse, so it's only natural that she would be best to teach resonance. You're brilliant, Liz!"

She tried to hid her face, but Soul could clearly see the soft smile. It was obvious Kid's praise wasn't lost on her. Well, maybe one day Kid will take his eyes off Maka and finally see the woman that truly wanted to be with him.

"Yo, Kid, did you want us to start today?"

"Of course not! I have structured every end semester to be in the eighth day of the second month. We have one more week before then. Next semester you will start, plus I need the week to find a new teacher to take over for Maka's class."

Maka nodded in understanding and bowed, "thank you, Kid! I promise we won't let you down."

Locking eyes with Soul, the Shinigami gave a curt nod; it was a small thing to anyone watching, but Soul could read him pretty good.

"Kid?"

"Yes, Soul?"

The silver-haired guy did something no one expected, he bowed to Kid, giving the Shinigami his full respect, "thank you for taking such good care of Maka while I was gone. And I can promise you that she will be very safe with me… in and out of the classroom."

After the initial shock of the moment, Kid grinned, "I'm sure you will. Now, you two better get to class."

He glanced at his wristwatch phone, "you have exactly five minutes before your class begins."

Jumping out of her bow, Maka grabbed Soul's hand and raced off, peering over her shoulder to address Kid before leaving.

"Thanks for everything, Kid! We won't let you down!"

Sighing heavily, the Shinigami walked over to his father's chess board, "come on, Liz, let's play a game."

The older sister looked over at Patty who was sculpting another giraffe and humming to herself. Smiling at her little sister, Liz turned around to Kid, "I'd like that."

Maka paused before going into class, stopping Soul and shocking him as she leaned up and pressed her soft lips against his, stealing a tender kiss before breaking it.

"What was that for?"

Cupping his cheek, she held his hand with the other, "because I love you… so very much."

Gazing deeply into her gentle green eyes, he smirked, "I love you too, even if you are a bit of a nerd."

That earned him a playful slap before entering the classroom.

The day seemed to go by pretty normal, no mischievous students, no jokes, everything was great, until lunch.

Black Star was seething when he approached them, Tsubaki trailing behind and trying to stop him.

"Soul!"

The silver-haired guy turned around in enough time to feel the fury of Black Star's punch. Being knocked to the ground, Soul wiped the blood from his mouth and stood up, "happy to see you too, bro."

Black Star yanked him by his shirt collar, "why did you go to Kid and take our jobs?!"

No longer in shock by the outburst, Maka ran over, "that's enough!"

She pushed on Black Star's chest, "if you had taken the time to fully listen, then you would know the class will be split in two and you will be in charge of the combat part. You get to fight and show off your strength every day! This is the thanks we get for doing that for you?!"

Looking from Maka to Soul, the blue-haired hot head felt pretty embarrassed. He let go of Soul and scratched the back of his head, "yeah, I guess I missed that part."

Tsubaki wrapped her arm around his, "you see, that's what I was trying to tell you, but you let your anger get the better of you."

Black Star turned his head to grin affectionately at her, "I'm sorry about that, babe. I let myself get carried away."

"Well, I can think of another way you can apologize."

Wiggling his eyebrows, Black Star gripped her waist and pulled her in, leaving no space between them.

"Oh, really? What did you have in mind?"

It was obvious where his mind went and Tsubaki batted her eyes at him with a blush, "you can clean the kitchen tonight."

Tsubaki gave him a quick kiss on the nose and fought back the urge to giggle, "don't worry, if you do a good enough job, then I may want to thank you properly."

That put his smirk back as they sat down to eat.

Maka couldn't help admiring them as she held onto Soul, "do you think…"

Turning to look at her, Soul grinned and brought her hand up to his lips, "one day, we'll be like that too, but a way cooler couple."

She rolled her eyes and nudged him playfully, trying to hid the redness on her cheeks by his sweet words.

The day was long and tedious, but Soul would spend a thousand more like it, as long as Maka was by his side. At the moment, she was gathering her things and saying goodbye to her students.

When all the students had left, he moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, "you ready?"

Leaning into his chest, she closed her eyes, "I've already put up my books and papers."

"Good, then how about we eat out tonight? Maybe a first official date?"

Opening her eyes, she turned in his embrace, "I hadn't even realized we didn't have one yet. It makes real how new our relationship is."

"No, Maka, not our relationship, just the dating part is new. If I'd stayed, we might've even gotten married before Black Star and Tsubaki."

Heart thumping wildly, Maka gulped, "you really want to marry me?"

"For someone with such a high IQ, you sure don't think sometimes."

She stuck her tongue out and squeezed her eyes shut, something he found to be so immature and cute.

Their moment would have continued, but there was a knock on the door before Theodore waltzed in "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."


	8. Ch 8 The Date

Soul pulled her closer to him, "you are, but I don't think you really cared."

Pushing his glasses up, he grinned at the silver-haired guy, "quite right, especially since I came here to see the lovely Maka."

A muscle in Soul's jaw tensed, "well, things haven't changed. Anything you want to talk to her about, you can say in front of me, 'cause I'm not going anywhere."

Though it bothered ole Theo more than anything, he spent years schooling his face so no one could figure out his true feelings.

"Fine then, Maka, are you going to continue working at the restaurant?"

Looking from Theo to Soul, she swallowed, a bit nervous.

"I no longer want you teaching me, and if I continue working for you, I want to be paid for it."

"How much?"

Glancing at Soul, she raised a brow and smirked, waiting for him to interject… so he did.

"Tell me, Theo, when are you the busiest?"

"I suppose Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays…why?"

"Those are the days Maka works, aren't they? In that case, she is valuable to your business, so she won't take any less than twenty dollars an hour. Also, she gets her Fridays back."

The blonde man was shocked, especially when Maka continued in Soul's place.

"I also want Soul and I to eat for free anytime we go there."

"What?! You sure are asking a lot!"

"Those are my conditions and if they are not met… I quit."

Running his hands through his hair in frustration, Theo slumped his usually proud shoulders, "fine, I'll look at the finances and see what I can do. We can have a contract drawn up."

Maka interrupted, "actually, Soul and I already got Kid to help us make one up. It also has the official seal of the Shinigami-sama, so if you had an itch to destroy or tamper with the contents of it, Kid will be immediately notified."

That he did not expect, and just nodded his head, saying a quick farewell. As he left the room, he slightly turned to glare at the happy couple; he may had lost this battle, but the war had yet to be won.

Maka sighed happily and grabbed Soul's hand, "come on! I need time to look nice before our date."

He grinned and let her pull him out of the school, down the street, all the way to their apartment. She ran into her room quickly to change into something she'd been saving, waiting for Soul's return so she could 'wow' him.

Soul smirked at the suit he put on. It was very close to the one he wore in the Black Room, but instead of white pinstripes, they were red. Walking out of his room, he sat on the couch and turned the TV on, waiting for Maka.

Adjusting the bodice, Maka looked in her mirror and smiled. The dress was tight and hugged her curves while still giving her a flattering neckline as it cut just low enough for a bit of cleavage while slightly pushing her bosom up.

The best part of this red number, was the lace skirt which appeared short in the front, but flowed gracefully in the back, lightly grazing the floor. After curling her hair, and putting on her red suede heels, she took a deep breath and walked out, "okay, I'm ready."

Soul glanced over and had to do a doubletake as his eyes widened at the sight of her, "Maka?"

Worrying her hands, she looked down at her dress, "is something wrong?"

Standing up, Soul strode over to her, shocked by how incredibly sexy his Maka could be.

Lifting a hand, he poised it over her cheek, not daring to touch just yet, "you…you're so perfect."

She couldn't stop her shy smile as she put her hand over his, pulling his in to finally touch her.

"You're sweet, but nothing's perfect in this world."

"Still can't take a compliment, huh Maka?"

There was a spark of mischievousness in his eyes as he said it, before he surprised Maka by grabbing her waist and pulling her close, "then I'll make myself clear so you can't write off what I say."

Soul gazed deeply into her sparkling emerald eyes, "you are perfect to me and everything I could ever want in a woman and a partner. Understand me now?"

Speechless, all she could do was lick her lips and nod, unsure how to respond to his directness.

Grinning, he gently raised her hand up to place a gentle kiss, "you ready to go?"

His usual lazy smirk was back and helped calm her down as she smiled back, "absolutely."

Making their way downstairs, Maka's mouth dropped open as she saw a limo pull up, "Soul."

She turned around, but he wasn't there, then a door clicked open and she turned again to see Soul opening the limo door for her.

Blushing, she entered and felt her body tingle with heat as he scooted in next to her, leaving no room between them. Biting her bottom lip, she laid her head on his shoulder as they drove off. Soul draped his arm around her shoulders and grinned wide.

"Are you excited?"

"Of course! Also, a bit nervous because you haven't even given me a clue as to where we're going."

Chuckling, Soul kissed the top of her head, "you'll see."

About ten minutes later, the limo stopped and Soul told Maka to stay there for a second. Usually, she wouldn't just sit there, like he wanted, but it gave her time to prepare. What if he brought her to one of those concerts he loved, with all the loud noises? Oh no, he wouldn't do that, would he?

Suddenly, he opened the door and offered his hand, "let's go."

Gulping hard, she gets out and looks at the building in front of her, "where are we?"

"This is an old studio I used when I first moved to Death City. It's closed right now, but I have a few connections."

"Meaning you told the owner you were 'the' Death Scythe, Soul Eater Evans and he was more than happy to help."

Shrugging, he tried to hide his smile, "basically."

Pulling out a key, he opened the rickety door and the first thing Maka noticed was the candle lights, which all led to the orchestra area before the stage. She gasped at the beautiful display, a round table with two chairs were nestled at the front, with a couple glasses of champagne; he even did place settings and put one solitary lily in a vase as the centerpiece.

Walking through the candle lit trail, she was about to sit at the table when Soul moved swiftly to push the chair in for her.

"Thank you."

Sitting in his chair, he moved his eyes to the stage and back at her. This date was something he'd thought about and planned the whole time he was gone.

"Soul?"

"Yeah?"

"This is all so beautiful. I honestly didn't expect it."

"Thought I was too cool for it?"

Giggling, Maka just shook her head and was about to say something when her stomach growled embarrassingly. Soul laughed and stood up to retrieve their food, coming back with a silver tray of chicken carbonara. Maka licked her lips in anticipation as the aroma flooded the air.

"Oh, Soul! You remembered my favorite."

"Three years was not going to erase six years of memories."

"True."

While eating, they shared new stories; Soul's work adventures and some rather strange and clumsy situations from Maka. Needless to say, they had a great time, but Soul had one more surprise up his sleeve.

Standing up, he reached for her hand and led her on stage, pulling the curtains to reveal a beautiful grand piano.

Soul sat on the bench and patted the spot next to him, "you showed me the song in your heart, so now I want to show you mine."

Sitting down next to him, she watched with baited breath as his fingers flawlessly moved from note to note, so much fluidity and richness in sound. The song was truly a masterpiece created from their lives. All the good times and bad times filled in each stanza, crescendo to a full resonating climax, which echoed in every corner of the theatre.

After finishing, Soul looked over at her, worried when tears flowed down her angelic face.

He quickly wiped the tears away, "Maka, why are you crying?"

Words weren't enough, so she cupped his face and pressed her lips against his, moving them in a sensual motion that left him reeling.

Their soul connection only seemed to intensify the moment they touched as her soul reached out to his. The feelings she shared with him were so moving, touching, and incredibly pleasurable as he crushed her petite frame into his chest, getting lost in the ecstasy of her taste, touch, hell even the scent of her was driving him crazy! Breaking the kiss, Maka laid her head on his shoulder, "this all feels like a dream."

Moving his arms to around her waist, he kissed her forehead, savoring the moment.

"I have something to ask you."

Her heart jumped as she looked up into his face. Oh my God, was he going to do what she thought he was going to? Holding her breath, Maka watched him turn to face her.

"Will you come with me to my parents' house next week?"

For a moment, it felt like her brain stopped working as her thoughts had to rearrange for the new information, "um, yeah, sure."

He saw the disappointed look on her face and immediately kissed her, "it's just really important to me for you to meet my family; I love you and I want them to love you too."

Smiling wide, she nodded, "I get it, I mean, you've already met my parents and they love you."

"I don't think your dad does."

"I think he does now that he's back with Mom, and she loves you."

"I've only met her twice."

"And the second time you met, she told me that you were a keeper."

Grinning, Soul moved like he was going to whisper in her ear, but instead he nipped it, "you never told me that."

Maka shivered, "you never asked."

Feeling the intense and pleasurable sensations, she accidentally let a moan up and cupped her hand over her mouth, making Soul smirk, "was that a moan?"

She shook her head, still not uncovering her mouth, which gave him leeway to keep going.

"Are you getting a little hot, Maka?"

He stood up and reached for her hand, "let's go home."


	9. Ch 9 Changes

On the limo ride back, Maka felt her eyes droop as she leaned against him and Soul couldn't help smiling at how cute she was as she fought her natural urges to rest.

"Maka, it's okay. You get some sleep and we'll be home soon."

Smiling softly, she laced their fingers together and finally allowed her eyes to close.

By the time she opened them again, it was daytime and she was lying in her bed, still fully clothed. She had the most wondering and mind-blowingly arousing dream, of her and Soul, ever and fanned herself to calm down.

Standing up, Maka grabbed a towel and her clothes for that day, and made her way to the shower. However, on her way there, she smelled something truly delicious and had to stop at the kitchen first.

"Soul?"

Turning around, he smiled wide, "good morning, sleeping beauty. I hope you're hungry."

He set a plate down with bacon, an omelet, oatmeal, and a grapefruit, "I figured you'd be famished when you woke up."

Sitting down, Maka smiled softly at him before praying for her food and digging in. They ate in silence, but it was far from uncomfortable.

Once finished, she stretched and stood up, leaning over to press her lips against his. The kiss was languid but very tender, before walking off to shower. Soul was left sitting there was his mouth open not able to resist touching his lips and grinning.

In the shower, Maka found it hard to make it quick as images of her and Soul flooded her mind. She washed her body and was painfully aware of how sensitive her skin had become as that dream and fantasies of what their first time would be like, filtered in.

Looking at the time, Soul started to worry about her and lightly opened the door to the bathroom, ready to call out to her, but stopped as he watched her gliding her hands over the hardened peaks of her breasts, her tight stomach, and even into the patch of light-colored hair. What surprised him most, was the moan that escaped her, "mmm, Soul."

He immediately turned away, unsure of what to do. Should he go in there and fulfill her fantasy? It's not like she wouldn't be physically ready for it, but he wanted to do things right with her. Making up his mind, he stepped back him, "Maka."

Jumping, she stopped and turned to him, "Soul! What are you doing?! Get out!"

He took his shirt off, "I heard you call my name."

So over heated and aching as she was, the sight of his incredible body made her moan and bit her lip, "please Soul, I can't…"

Feeling a bit bad, he turned around to leave when he felt a wet hot hand stop him. Soul turned to see Maka's gaze filled with desire, "we don't have to go all the way, right?"

Smirking, he looked her up and down, "I just want to wash your back for you."

She stepped back into the shower, no longer hiding her body from him, and stared with a blush as he undid his pants and slid both them and his boxers down, before he stepped into the shower. Feeling his chest against her back, she closed her eyes and laid her head back on his shoulder, "Soul."

Licking his lips, he moved his fingers up, feather-light touches at first to her sides, but soon found the confidence to run his whole hand against her heated moist flesh. She made sweet little noises as he reached up to finally cup those sweet plump orbs, so soft and round in his hands. He groaned and rained kisses down her neck, enraptured by the feel and taste of her.

"Maka, hand me the soap."

Opening her eyes, her shaking hands grabbed the body wash and handed it to him, disappointed to feel him move away, but then gasped in pleasure as he ran his roughened hands down her back and up again. It felt more like a sensual massage than washing, but she didn't mind as he continued downward and rubbed the soap onto her round bottom, giving it a good squeeze before moving back up.

"Maka, look at me."

He rubbed the silky soap over her abdomen and over her breasts in a circular motion, making her legs go weak, but he caught her and she felt how strong his desire for her was. Snapping out of it, she tried to take deep calming breaths, "Soul, if I turn around, we're going to make love, and I don't really want my first time to be now."

Leaning in, he let his lips graze her ear, "then when?"

She gasped and moaned, but did her best to keep her resolve, "I don't know, I just don't want to do it here this morning."

"The way you were touching yourself earlier made it seem otherwise."

He saw that?! Of course, he saw that, and it must have been why he walked in.

"I know, but we're going to be late for class."

Oh, so school was taking over her sex drive was it?

"Fine, but only if you can give me a day and time, we can make love. I've waited almost a decade for you, spurring advances from anyone else, and I know you've been waiting for me too, unless you've just been too busy in your school to think about doing it with anyone, including me."

He really thought he knew her, but that comment turned something on inside her and she grinned mischievously.

Turning to face him, she slammed her lips onto his in a searing kiss, meant to show a determined passion and Soul actually felt his own legs weaken. She gripped the hair in the back of his head as she devoured him before pulling him back by his hair and slapping him across the face, "there's your answer."

Maka turned the shower off and wrapped the towel around her, walking away and hiding her smile as Soul was left dumbfounded.

Getting dressed, she put on a low-cut v-neck red sweater with her black bando underneath, and black mini-skirt, and black tights with black combat boots. Her hair was up in a high ponytail and she decided to wear her glasses instead of contacts that day, not to mention a bit of black eyeliner and mascara just for fun. Looking in the mirror, she grinned. Soul wanted to know how strong her desire for him was, well she would give him a good taste today.

After dressing again, he grumbled while on the couch, confused by the slap after the kiss. It almost felt like she punished him like a dog, but then why the kiss before?

"Ready to go, Soul?"

"Yeah, let's goo…"

He stopped in his tracks and stared at her before gulping hard and grabbing a paper towel as he felt his nosebleed hit. She grinned and winked before walking to the door, "come on, Soul."

There was something different about her. They walked into the school and every boy and man with good eyes gawked at her as she swayed her hips and held her books, greeting everyone as she normally did. Soul had his arm around her waist and laid his hand on her hip, glaring at all of them.

Once in the classroom, Soul watched her little movements as it seemed more sexual than usual. She grabbed a pen and lightly nibble it, cocking her hip to one side and bending one knee slightly thrusting that sweet derriere into the air. At that point, Soul was visualizing shoving everything off that desk and taking her on it, maybe even from behind. He covered his face as another nosebleed hit. Damnit!

Maka glanced up and grinned seductively at him, arching her back slightly as she stood up, "those nosebleeds are starting to happen a lot more than usual, perhaps you need to go see the nurse."

"Nope, I'm fine."

Her voice taking on a husky tone, she hopped up and sat down on her desk, the skirt hiking up to her butt, "maybe you'd like me to nurse it for you."

Mouth going dry, he stared at her, those breasts pushed out as her hands leaned on the desk, and those legs crossed so tantalizingly, but then she took her glasses off and put the tip in her mouth a little, "you want me to do it?"

It? Soul licked his lips and walked over to stand in front of her, running his hand up her leg, "Maka, what the hell?"

In response, she uncrossed her tights-clad legs in invitation, "I can fix that nosebleed problem of yours."

Biting back a groan, he let his hand move further up to stop where they both wanted and rubbed her gently, "I don't think you can."

Maka let her head roll back, and a moan escape, but used one hand to grip his belt and sat up a little, "then you underestimate me."

He gulped as sweet innocent Maka changed before his eyes into a sexual vixen bent on driving him mad with want for her. Grazing her hand over his pants, she felt his hardening arousal and mewed in pleasure, but Soul stopped what he was doing and pushed her back, "Maka, I don't want your class to see this."

Sighing heavily, she nodded, "you're right, but this isn't over. You wanted to know the extinct of my desire, well you're going to get a full dose of it tonight."

"To-tonight?"

"Yes, and I'm gonna make you beg for me to stop."

That sounded incredible, but thinking about it, how awesome would it be to have his first time in his old bedroom?

"Actually, how would you feel about waiting until we go to my parent's house? There's like thirty rooms so we won't have to worry about anyone hearing us, and to have you in my old room would kind of be amazing."

Moving in close to him once the strength was back in her legs, she smiled mischievously and trailed her fingers down his chest, "we'll see if you can last that long."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I'm going to take every opportunity to tease you… mercilessly."

He would have said more, but the students starting filing in and he chose to sit in Maka's seat and get his 'situation' under control. So, Maka had a bit of a dark side. Smirking, Soul loved her being sweet, but this sultry minx was good too.

Every time Maka called on a boy in her class, he seemed to get red and stutter out his words, none of them immune to her female pheromones that morning. Without even knowing it, she was walking with a seductive sway and even the tone in her voice was dripping in the sweetest and most erotic honey.

Once class was over, Soul was going to comment when Kid entered, "good morn…"

He tried to compose himself as he stared at Maka who smiled and walked over to him, not aware of her every step being perceived as coming closer to a lover. Soul jumped to his feet and pulled her to him, she practically purred at the contact then turned her head to address Kid, "was there something you needed?"

"Ah well, yeah…uh…I mean, right, yes! I f-found a replacement teacher for you."

"Great!"

They were both happy until Theodore walked in, "hello."

All turned to him, and Maka rolled her eyes, "you really think you have what it takes?"

Damnit it all to hell! Soul bit his tongue as her voice still gave off a sultry quality and it was not lost on Theo. He grinned, raised a brow, and looked her up and down, "I have what it takes and much more."

"You'll have to prove it to me. I need to see you in action."

"Oh, you will. And I'm sure you'll be very…satisfied with my techniques."

Soul had to put a stop to this!

"Fellas! I need to have a word with my girlfriend for a moment."

He grabbed her arm and walked them out of the school and into the forest, "Maka, you can't go saying things like that!"

Pouting, she still had no idea the affects she was having on everyone, "I don't know what you mean."

Even her pout was beckoning him!

"Quit being cute and seductive with everyone! It's me you want to make love with, right?"

Biting her lip, she backed him into a tree, "more than anything. You think you've been alone in your desires all these years, but you weren't. You're the only one I've ever desired, and that wasn't the first time I've thought of you while in the shower. In fact, the first time I had a fantasy about you, was junior year when we were rough-housing and my skirt flipped up. Your hands moved against my thighs and then my sides, and you were scorching a trail up my body. Poor thing, you had no idea what you were doing, but that night in the shower, I imagined your hands on me and felt myself get extremely hot…and it wasn't from the water."

Wow, and Soul thought he was perverted.

"Maka, I don't think you realize it, but you're putting off some serious, 'come do me' vibes not just to me, but everyone. You've got to reign it in and save it for just us, or I'm afraid everyone, including stupid Theodore, is going to think you're down for anything with them. Is that what you want?"

"No! Of course, not!"

Putting two hands on her shoulders, he looked into her emerald depths, "then try to calm yourself down and act normal in there, but when we come home, I fully expect to have vixen Maka back."

Smiling, she took a deep breath, "maybe I should close my eyes and meditate."

"Sure, if that works."

Sitting down, she closed her eyes and breathed, slow and deep with long exhales. Clearing her mind, she smiled and sighed, "okay, I think I'm back to normal now."

"Let me see."

Soul kneeled down to see her usual cheerful smile and a slight blush on her cheeks. Grinning wide, he grazed her sides, causing her to erupt into a fit of giggles, "yeah, you're back to normal."

Hitting his arm, she hopped up and brushed off her outfit before they walked back into the school, Theo and Kid still waiting. Maka bowed to the death god, "I'm sorry about earlier, I don't think I was feeling well, but I'm fine now."

Lifting back up, she smiled politely and held her hands behind her back, Soul leaning against her desk. Theo grinned at her, "I would still like to show you what I've got."

"Oh! Okay, um, I'll let you teach the next class and we'll go from there, but I may interject if I don't agree with something you say or do."

Gone was the seductive manner from before, so he shrugged and agreed. Kid nodded his head and left, also thankful to have Maka acting normal again.

The day was grueling as Theodore did his best to teach, but Maka did have to interrupt a few times and correct some of his information, but all in all… not too bad of a day. Once Theodore left the classroom, Maka walked over and locked the door. Soul raised a brow as he lazily walked over to her.

"Hey, what are you doing? We're supposed to leave the classroom before locking it."

Turning around, she pressed her back to the door, rubbing one leg up the other, "but you're in detention, young man. Now, go sit down in the front desk where I can see you."


	10. Chapter 10 The Phone Call

That was the sultry voice, and Soul grinned wide, raising a brow, "yes Ms. Albarn, but what happens if I don't?"

Smiling, she strode up to him and looked about to kiss him, but swatted his butt instead, "now go sit."

Rolling his eyes, he sat down in the seat facing her desk and watched her walk over to sit on it, directly facing him, and crossing her legs, "do you know why you're in detention?"

"Why don't you tell me?"

Pushing her glasses up, she leaned back on her hands, "you were staring at me all day and probably having inappropriate thoughts about me."

Raising a brow, he grinned.

"You would be correct."

"Behavior like that must not go unpunished, also… we didn't get to finish in the shower this morning."

"Finish?"

Lifting slightly up, she uncrossed her legs and hopped off the desk, sauntering over to him while lifting her shirt up a little and biting her lip, "that wasn't very nice of you to get me so hot and bothered."

Wide eyes took in her sexy pose and he stood up, aware of the hardness straining from his pants, "allow me to make it right then."

Swiftly, he grabbed her hips and crushed her into him, making her feel what she did to him. Maka moaned softly and even wondered herself what happened to her self-control. Soul caressed her neck with his lips, nibbling, biting, sucking, and kissing down to her chest, making quick work of her sweater and bando, he looked at the red lacey bra with accents of black and grinned, "somebody likes red."

She nipped his ear, "because it's the color of your eyes."

Biting his lip, he willed himself to calm down, "don't you remember what we said before?"

Maka hiked her leg up onto his hip, "what?"

Mmm, she was making it so hard to talk, "I want our first time to be in my room."

Moving away, she arched a brow and frowned, "then we'd better hurry back to the apartment before I attack you."

Poor Maka sounded so disappointed, but then Soul wrapped his arm around her and grabbed her hand, lifting it to kiss.

"It will happen, okay? Just, it'll be a first for the both of us and losing it at my house in America will be perfect."

"Why there?"

He had other reasons, but she wasn't to know that yet.

"Because it's the one place I was always lonely, and I used to think I'd always be that way…until you."

Nodding her head, she gave him a sweet smile before kissing him. It was a tender pressing of their lips and Soul growled into it, so happy in that moment. When they broke apart, she walked to the door and unlocked it, "we can have fun with this roleplay after we visit your parents."

"Sounds all kinds of wonderful."

Once they were back at the apartment, Soul sat down in the living room and called his mom.

"Hey, Mom."

"Soul! I haven't heard from you in so long! How's my little death scythe?"

"Mom, you know I'm an adult now, right?"

"Yes, I know, but you'll always be my little boy. So, is everything alright?"

Glancing over at Maka busying herself in the kitchen, he grinned, "I want to come visit you soon."

"Really?!"

Soul pulled the phone away as she yelled enthusiastically into the receiver, "I'm guessing that means you like the idea?"

"Yes! When are you coming?"

"I was thinking about next week."

"Great! Your father will be so happy to see you! We'll go to the country club and see all of your old classmates, and do some golfing. Oh! We have a few new restaurants here as well, that you could-"

"Mom!"

"Sorry, dear, I'm just excited."

"I have something else to tell you."

Taking a deep breath, he cleared his throat, "I'll be bringing someone with me."

"Who?"

"Maka Albarn."

"AAAAAH!"

This time even Maka could hear the excited scream, "is your mom okay?"

"Don't know…Mom, you okay?"

"I-I just can't believe Maka is coming! Her mother and I would good friends growing up, until she started going to DWMA, but we stayed in contact all these years."

"Huh, I didn't know you guys knew each other."

"Oh, yes! When we were pregnant, we joked around saying we should have our children marry each other. Ha ha ha, thinking about it, how silly would an arranged marriage be nowadays. Obviously, they still do it around here, but I liked the idea of you finding your own true love instead."

Little did she know, that his true love was 'The' Maka Albarn; it would've been pretty cool if they had arranged for them to marry, but it was fun falling in love without the obligation.

"That's cool, anyway, she'll be coming with me as my meister and… my girlfriend."

Another scream into the receiver.

"Oh, Soul! I can't wait to see the both of you!"

"I'm pretty excited to see you and Dad as well. Well, it's getting late so I'd better go. Love you, Mom, goodnight."

"Goodnight, dear. Take good care of that girl of yours."

"Will do."

Hanging up, he stood and walked over to wrap his arms around Maka's tiny waist from behind while she cooked some soup, "I think she was happier when she found out you were coming."

"Think she still would be if she knew why we were coming?"

Chuckling, he lightly nipped her neck, "that stays between you and me, so not even Tsubaki is to know. I can just see the teasing I'd get from Black Star for still being a virgin."

Taking the soup off the stove, she turned and curled her arms around his neck, "I'm relieved and thankful you still are, because I can't think of anything as romantic as losing it to each other."

Reaching up, Soul cupped her soft and round cheek, "I love you, Maka."

She blushed and smiled softly, "I love you, Soul."

With that, they shared a very tender and endearing kiss, meant to convey each other's love.

Breaking apart, Soul kissed her forehead, "you go sit down and I'll take care of the rest."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I know how to cook, what cool guy doesn't?"

She giggled and sat down with a smile, "I'll just enjoy the view then."

Raising a brow at her, he smirked, "then I'll give you a better one."

"Huh?"

She didn't understand what he meant, until he took his shirt off and was standing, half-naked, in the kitchen. Jaw dropping, Maka licked her lips and squeezed her legs together. His body was ridiculous! So many rippling muscles twisting with his movements, his chest was adorned with the scar from long ago, but it didn't take away from the perfect physique and she took in her fill, even down to his tapered waist where a deliciously cut V shape pointed the way to the one part of him she hadn't seen yet. Yep, she was definitely drooling over him.

Grinning, Soul came over and put a bowl in front of her, "dinner is served."


End file.
